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Having the courage to reach out to someone on LinkedIn can be daunting, especially if you don’t know them well. But with a little thought and preparation, you can confidently craft a LinkedIn message that will get their attention and start a meaningful conversation.
For salespeople, LinkedIn is often seen as a valuable tool for building relationships and generating leads. But if you’re not careful, you can easily come across as spammy or pushy, which will not only hurt your chances of making a connection but could also damage your reputation.
We at LaGrowthMachine fully believe in the power of LinkedIn outreach and have had great success with our own campaigns. So, in this article, whether it’s via a normal message or an InMail, we’ll share some of our best tips on how to reach out to someone on LinkedIn!
Who do you need to connect with on LinkedIn? What to say when reaching out to them? What NOT to say? In which situations? What to do next?
In this article, we’ll answer these questions and show you how to make the most of your connection once you’ve made it.
So, whether you’re looking for leads, business opportunities, or just want to build your professional network on LinkedIn, this guide will show you how to get started!
Who do you need to connect with on LinkedIn?
The first step is to identify who you want to connect with on LinkedIn. This might be a potential client, someone you met at a networking event, or even a cold lead.
Keep in mind that the more specific you can be, the better. LinkedIn provides a lot of filters and search options that you can use to find the right person.
In fact, you can use LaGrowthMachine to generate a list of leads that match your ideal customer profile using LinkedIn’s filters.
This is a great tool, especially for B2B marketing efforts on LinkedIn, that can help you reach your target audience and grow your business.
Once you have your list of leads, you can then enrich their information using LaGrowthMachine’s data enrichment tool. This will give you valuable insights into their background, interests, and even contact details.
Finally, you’ll be able to automatically:
- View their profile
- Add them as LinkedIn connections
- Send them messages (text AND vocal!!!)
Quick Tip 💡
Why should you include a voice message in your outreach sequence?
- – They make you stand out, build trust, and boost responses.
- – But they can also backfire if you’ just use them to present your sales long sales pitch
So how do you create awesome voice messages that get results?
- – Research your prospects well
- – Keep your messages under 30 seconds and get to the point concisely.
- – Don’t keep redoing the same voice note and drive yourself crazy. You’ll get the hang of it as you do it more.
- – Smile.
Trust us, try voice messages and see the difference.
However, leads aren’t the only people you should try and connect with, here are a few other ideas:
- People you’ve met at networking events: A great opportunity to follow up and continue the conversation.
- Business contacts you’ve recently made: Whether it’s a new supplier or client, stay top of mind by connecting with them on LinkedIn.
- Old colleagues or classmates: You never know when you might need to reach out for advice or a favor, so it’s good to stay in touch.
- People who have commented on your blog or articles: Show them you’re listening and build a rapport by connecting with them on LinkedIn.
- etc…
That said, before you even reach out to anyone, you need to make sure your profile is up to date and polished. This will give the person you’re reaching out to a good first impression and make them more likely to accept your request!
Reaching Out to Someone on LinkedIn: The Basics
Your LinkedIn profile is your first impression to potential leads, employers, etc.. It’s important to make sure that your profile includes all the relevant information about your work experience, education, and skills.
Quick Tip💡
Keep in mind that when you reach out to someone on LinkedIn, they will surely check out your profile before deciding whether or not to respond. So, make sure it’s up to scratch!
First and foremost, if you don’t have a LinkedIn profile picture, your chances of getting a response are very low.
Your LinkedIn headline should also be interesting and reflective of what you do. Avoid using mundane job titles like “salesperson” or “marketing manager.” Instead, try to be creative and give people an idea of your specialty or focus.
Finally, take some time to fill out your LinkedIn summary. This is your chance to really sell yourself and make a good first impression. So, don’t be shy – talk about your successes, skills, and what you can offer.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s take a look at some tips on how to reach out to someone on LinkedIn.
What to say when reaching out to someone on LinkedIn
So, you’re ready to reach out to someone on LinkedIn, but you’re not sure what to say.
The most important thing to remember is to be genuine and authentic in your message. People can spot a generic message from a mile away, so make sure you personalize your messages.
With that in mind, here are our best practices for reaching out to someone on LinkedIn:
1. Use a personalized subject line
Like we already said, a great way to get someone’s attention is to use a personalized subject line in your message. This shows that you’ve taken the time to read their profile and that you’re interested in connecting.
2. Start with a compliment
When you reach out to someone, it’s always a good idea to start with a compliment. For example, you could say something like “I read your article on XYZ and I loved it” or “I’m impressed by your work as XYZ.”
3. Be specific
When you’re specific in your message, it shows that you’re truly interested in connecting with the person. So, avoid generic messages and instead focus on why you want to connect.
Thanks to LaGrowthMachine’s “Custom Attributes” function, you can now easily add specific information to your LinkedIn messages. This way, you can make sure that each and every message is personalized and relevant to the person you’re reaching out to.
leads
4. Keep it short and sweet
Nobody likes a long-winded message, so try to keep your message short and to the point. After all, you’re just trying to start a conversation – you don’t need to write a novel!
Quick Tip💡
Never start your sales pitch right away. The goal of your first message should be to start a conversation, not close a deal. Your prospect will be much more receptive if you take the time to get to know them first.
5. Follow up
If you don’t hear back from the person you reached out to, it’s perfectly fine to follow up with another message. Just make sure not to be too pushy – nobody likes a pest!
Through our tool, you’re the one who decides when to follow up and how many times. You can even do it through another channel -which is something we actually recommend, more on that later.
6. Go multichannel!
As we just said, following up through another channel (like email or phone) is a great way to increase your chances of getting a response.
With LaGrowthMachine, you can easily add someone’s email address and phone number to your contact list, thanks to our enriching program. This way, you can reach out to your prospects through multiple channels and increase your chances of getting a response by 3.5 times!
Reaching out to someone on LinkedIn can be a great way to build relationships and grow your network. Just remember to be genuine, authentic, and specific in your messages – and you’re sure to get a response in no time.
What NOT to say when reaching out to someone on LinkedIn
When you’re reaching out to someone on LinkedIn, it’s important to remember what NOT to say. After all, you don’t want to come across as pushy, sales-y, or spammy.
Here are some of the most common mistakes people make when reaching out to others on LinkedIn:
1. Don’t start with “I”
When you start your message with “I”, it immediately puts the focus on you. Instead, try to focus on the other person and what they’re interested in.
This makes the person on the other side feel like you’re interested in them and not just trying to sell them something.
So, avoid talking about yourself too much or making your message all about your products or services.
2. Don’t ask for favors right away
When you first reach out to someone, it’s best to avoid asking for favors. For example, don’t ask them to introduce you to someone else or promote your product/service.
This is only acceptable behavior once you’ve built up a relationship with the person. If you go in for the ask too soon, you’ll likely lose their interest.
3. Don’t send a generic message
As we’ve said before, generic messages are a huge turn-off. So, make sure to personalize each and every message you send.
Thankfully, with LaGrowthMachine’s “Custom Attributes” function, you can easily add specific information to your LinkedIn messages.
This way, you can make sure that each and every message is personalized and relevant to the person you’re reaching out to while at the same time having a scalable LinkedIn outreach.
4. Don’t be too sales-y
This is closely related to point number one. Remember, the goal of your first message should be to start a conversation, not close a deal.
Your prospect will be much more receptive if you take the time to get to know them first. So, avoid coming across as sales-y or pushy in your messages.
5. Don’t forget to proofread
Before sending a message, always make sure to proofread it first. This will help you avoid any embarrassing typos or grammatical errors.
Additionally, try to keep your messages short and to the point. This will make them much easier to read and more likely to get a response.
Start reaching out to people on LinkedIn now!
There you have it! These are just some of the things you should keep in mind when reaching out to someone on LinkedIn.
Just remember to be genuine, authentic, and specific in your messages – and you’re sure to get a response in no time.
Do you have any other tips on how to reach out to someone on LinkedIn? Share them with us in the comments
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Comments
Great insights, Amine. This will help me build my relationship with target customers on LinkedIn. Thanks
Hi James,
Thanks for the kind words, I’m glad I could help you with your outreach!
If you need more information on LinkedIn prospecting, here’s another excellent guide we made:
https://lagrowthmachine.com/linkedin-prospecting-guide/
Best of luck with your customers! :)
Amine
Thank you Amine !